PANDORA
by The Symbol of Faith
Summary: Paranormal Activities and Nexus of Dual Occult Research and Advancement, an organisation that delved into the supernatural. Stretching across universes and galaxies, they seek to maintain peace and order, making sure that only certain people ever learnt of the power they protected – immortality. Magic has limits; limits lead to rules and regulations. And those who fail to follow…
1. PANDORA

**AN: May the 4th - HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHINICHI! Oh and also, Sherlock and James fell off the Reichenbach Falls on this day, meh. ;)  
**

 **Hey! Another new story, I know. Not even finished my previous ones...but bad habits are hard to break :/ Anyway, here you go!**

 **No idea why I started this story, but the plot just wouldn't leave my mind, so I wrote it down! Also, I'm kind of interested myself, to see where this will lead...  
**

 **Let me know how you liked it!**

 **Enjoy~**

 **P.S. -** **For those interested to know the meanings behind the names of the new characters, check out the** GLOSSARY **at the end of the chapter!  
**

 **.**

"Dialogues"

 _'Thoughts'_

.

Note: Not canon. Or anything remotely related. Complete AU. Also, first chapter may have some OC's, but they'll all disappear after that. Then, only canon characters. I promise! Just give it a try!

Also, there are no pairings for now. May have some later - perhaps depending on what the reviewers want.

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

 _Earth Year: 1940, A.D. Theone Year: Uncountable, Limitless_

…

"Sir," a young woman, with blond pigtails that seemed to defy gravity, spoke up, "the ambassador from Earth has returned. It seems a new crime syndicate has arisen, wanting to gain immortality."

The chairman sighed, "It's always Earth, isn't it? Those humans evolved too fast, always in search of greater power as the years go by."

"Cut them some slack," A messy haired, indigo eyed member drawled, "It's been two centuries since anyone went after eternal life. Besides, they're going to fail and give up sooner than later."

"No, they're not, Kaito." A new voice spoke up.

Everyone eyed the man who'd just entered the meeting room. Very similar in features to 'Kaito', he had slightly neater hair and a lighter shade of eye colour. But as similar they were in appearance, as contradictory was their personality.

"Shinichi," Kaito, Head of Magical Research, dipped his head in acknowledgment, "You've returned from Earth, I assume?"

The chairman cleared his throat and Kaito turned silent, letting him take over. The chairman repeated the question and Shinichi answered.

"Yes, my investigation concurred with what Earth's ambassador reported. They're truly looking for immortality. However, it seems the ambassador had missed out a crucial point – we've been betrayed."

His bold statement brought forth incredulous gasps.

"Are you aware of the severity of your accusation?" A stern woman asked him sharply.

"Oh, please, Zakiya," Kaito said in an equally sharp voice, "Despite his less endearing traits, Shinichi does always tell the truth. We can count on that."

"Aren't _you_ defending him quite ferociously?" Zakiya, Head of Gemmology and Mineralogy, snapped back.

Before more of them could get involved into the argument, the chairman thumped the table, "Silence!" Upon receiving it, he continued, "Shinichi, why don't you elaborate?"

The Head of the Investigation, Shinichi of Galaxy Nine, took his own seat and began his tale.

"I personally followed up on what the Earth's ambassador reported, and upon arriving on Earth, I realised that the organisation seemed to be involved in the search for a mysterious jewel 'Pandora'."

"Nonsense!" the blond with pigtails, Hala, Head of Intelligence, cried out, "How could they have heard of Pandora?"

"I did tell you we've been betrayed," Shinichi pointed out.

"But they seemed to have gotten one thing wrong," Kaito narrowed his eyes, "Pandora is not a jewel, it is an organisation."

"An organisation that holds the secret to eternal life, nonetheless," Shinichi pointed out, "Besides, their take on the jewel poses a problem for us, either way."

"You're not making much sense," Zakiya said acerbically, "Get to the point."

"If I had no _interruptions_ –"

The chairman sighed. Some days, he wished he didn't have this position. Having to sort out squabbles between all the heads of departments made him feel more like a baby-sitter than the all-powerful head of a powerful organisation, PANDORA.

Standing for Paranormal Activities and Nexus of Dual Occult Research and Advancement, PANDORA had been formed…er…too long ago to be measured in any units of time known to any galaxy; the organisation was what maintained order among the immortals and maintained peace between galaxies.

And yes, immortal beings did exist. As did magic. And all supernatural stuff that had been recorded and documented.

And now, countless of millions of years after the first immortal had been created – yes, created, as they were all born mortal – they still had no clue as to exactly what had caused the change. Just that mere contact with a particular mineral found on a desolated planet 'Theone' caused a reaction within their bodies, turning them ageless. And while they could be harmed, injured and killed, they did not age.

This was clearly seen in the last Great War of Galaxies, 15,890 years ago where they'd lost two hundred immortals. Quite a small number considering the loss Galaxy Seven, Galaxy Four and Galaxy Eleven sustained, which couldn't even be measured in trillions; but considering the immortals were mostly a peaceful society, who existed to maintain peace, two hundred was a huge number. They hadn't even been involved till things got too out of hand!

Ah, returning to the subject at matter.

So, Theone contained that special mineral that turned people immortal. To study this further, the first immortals had built up a base on Theone and started organisation PANDORA.

The galaxy containing the planet had imploded about two hundred billion years ago, but Theone had escaped that tragic fate. Turning into a comet, fuelled by unknown energy, it started traveling through galaxies, jumping through stable wormholes, sometimes appearing within sight of certain planets, sometimes not.

Those planets that did see Theone as it circled its now infinitely huge orbit, gave it different names. Some planets revolved faster, at some, time was an inconsequential matter; while one strange planet seemed to be inhabited by users that harnessed a strange energy called 'Magick'. Depending upon which galaxy it was passing through, the planet's travel speed increased or decreased. Sometimes, the addition of a new immortal, from different planets or galaxies, seemed to strangely affect the planet, slowing or speeding it and at times causing it to come to a total standstill.

Life seemed self-sufficient on Theone. Needing no specific dietary consumption like dwellers of certain planets or exposure to sunlight (like a certain planet that housed faeries) for survival; all immortals that stepped onto Theone seemed to live as if their previous bodily requirements were of no consequence. It was as if their bodies adjusted to sustain themselves on Theone.

And if, for any reason, some of them visited another planet, one that was not originally theirs, their body simply adapted to maintain itself. They underwent no physical change, only biological. It was truly a conundrum.

The oddest case had been when Theone had passed by a large planet completely shrouded in darkness, with only a small star to provide it light. Most of the beings there had adapted to the dark atmosphere, with pale skin and blood shot eyes. So exempted from darkness they were, that when the star did shine its light on them, it brought forth extreme chemical reactions on them – at best burns and at worst disintegration. For gaining the nutrition that the light provided, as it was essential for their well-being, they feasted on the juices of plants that grew in light.

A couple of mortal residents had joined Theone, adding to their numbers, and found out they could go without their 'special nutritional juices'. But upon descending upon Earth, they found the Sun's glare to be even more damning than the star of their own planet.

Even though they were immortal, it did not mean they were invulnerable. To make up for the lack of nutrition the light could provide but they couldn't harness, they feasted on blood – it was the only component available on Earth similar to the plant extracts of their native planet – and they were named as Vampires.

Really, Earth had a very creative naming sense. They'd even named their own galaxy! The Milky Way was Galaxy Fourteen to them, but Earth dwellers took much pride in the name, so the immortals complied and referred to it as such.

The Milky Way was not the only galaxy to have been named, incidentally. When you had more than a hundred galaxies, each containing more than a thousand planets and innumerable stars, one did not go naming them. So, while Theone's residents called it by numerical representations, they did honour galaxies that did appoint a name to it.

Each galaxy did like to feel special and came up with creative names like the Earth had. Also, considering that Earth was truly the only planet evolved far enough to be coherent, it made sense that the name a single planet had bestowed its galaxy was accepted so easily. Most planets belonging to other galaxies would often get into arguments as to which was the best name to give the galaxy – a debate that would span years and years and never come to an end. Those galaxies remained nameless.

And speaking of nameless galaxies –

"Chairman? Chairman! Shiloh!"

Shiloh, the chairman, brought himself out of his musings to see that the council had settled down and Shinichi seemed ready to explain again.

"Ah, yes, continue,"

Shinichi nodded at him, "As I was saying, Sharon of Galaxy Nine has been living on Earth since four thousand years. It has been a rather sudden decision of hers to have joined the very organisation that is after immortality."

"Are you telling us," Latifah, Head of Health and Development, a girl with the appearance of a twelve year old, spoke, "That Sharon betrayed us? _Sharon_? I – I can't believe it!"

"You must." Shinichi insisted, his face stoic.

"Well, Sharon and Shinichi have always been close," Raynor, Head of Research, mused, "It makes no sense that he'd lie to us. Not that Shinichi would ever say anything but the truth," the man hastily added at Shinichi's glare, "belonging to the illustrious planet, Elisin!"

Elisin, a planet in Galaxy Nine, was well known for its nobility. It was perhaps the single most unique planet in all galaxies, where the word 'dishonesty' was obsolete. That was also why Shinichi was uncontested for his position as Head of Investigation. At least everyone could be guaranteed that his reports contained nothing but the truth.

And Sharon, who came from the same galaxy as Shinichi but from a different planet, had always been rather close to him. They'd regarded each other as family, as most beings coming from the same galaxy do. So, Shinichi deliberately lying or pinning a false blame on Sharon was out of the question.

"So, why did she tell those mortals about us?" Hala asked,

"She fell in love." Shinichi's answered succinctly.

Silence. Absolute silence.

" _What_." Kaito was the first to regain control, "What the hell? If she fell in love, she could have just requested we make that one man immortal! Telling a whole group of people? Where's the sense in that?"

Zakiya, unusually, was in agreement with Kaito, "True, we would have granted _one_ mortal with immortality if he meant so much to her – her actions make no sense."

"The mortal doesn't wish to come to Theone, even if he does wish to be immortal," Shinichi responded dryly, "and before you say that stepping onto Theone is the only way to grant immortality, let me complete my sentence. Sharon's… lover… wishes to rule Earth's underworld. He's got no interest in coming to Theone and settling here."

"Does her lover know what we truly are? What Theone is?"

Shinichi shook his head, "No, even Sharon knows better than to tell someone about Theone's secrets. But, she did tell him about the jewel – the jewel that cries a tear when the volley comet passes by."

Now, firstly, there was no such thing as the 'volley comet'. That was just the name Earth had given Theone. And while Earth dwellers believed that the comet passed by once in 10,000 years, it was actually random. Theone travelled at its own pace and could only be slightly influenced by them. Imbue enough energy and the planet seemed to go faster. Extract enough energy out of it and it seemed to slow down.

And the jewel. The jewel was another unexplained part that they were researching. From what they understood from millennia of research, every planet had a particular rock or mineral that seemed to resonate at the same frequency Theone did.

Holding up the "jewel" to the moon, or any other large light energy source, at the time when Theone made its orbit, seemed to make it come to a stand-still. At such times, even if all the varied beings from various galaxies concentrated their energy into Theone, it would not move.

The jewel basically acted as a bridge. Fix the jewel to a stand. Focus a light energy on it. Wait till the resonance occurs. Step into the connection formed between the jewel and Theone – and voila! Instant teleportation! Or in clearer terms, the connection; usually a colourful beam of light; basically acted as 'gravity' and anything that passed through it got pulled towards Theone. And the moment any being entered Theone, they turned immortal.

"Well, that's simple then, isn't it?" Kaito shrugged, "Let's just concentrate enough magic into Theone now, go past Earth and then slow down. Come half a century, the guy won't even be alive!"

"Not so simple," Shinichi disputed, "Sharon's given some of her blood to be tested on. The organisation's trying to artificially recreate Theone's immortality."

Raynor snorted, "We've been researching the mineral, our blood, Theone's flora and fauna for millennia! And if we've not come to any conclusion, I don't think those Earth dwellers will be able to do it in _one_ lifespan."

"Ah," Shiloh interrupted, "but you forget. We've carried out all tests and experiments on Theone. Not on any other planet. Who knows? Earth might have some chemicals that could actually be able to reproduce its effect!"

Latifah frowned, "We dared not to bring any mineral out of Theone because of accidently turning a whole planet immortal. What Sharon is giving them is her blood, not the actual source of immortality. I must agree with the chairman, Earth doesn't have to worry about any repercussions if the experiment fails. They might actually be able to mimic Theone's effect. And if not permanently, they could do it long enough till they find their version of the jewel."

"An action must be taken then," Veer, Head of Military, proclaimed, "We could always go and end them all, all those who know about the jewel's legend."

"No," Shinichi refused, "this organisation is too deeply entrenched into society. Who knows how many people are aware of it?"

"You could always read their minds and tell us," Zakiya suggested snidely.

Kaito scowled, "It takes him a lot of focus and energy to read minds and it's not something Shinichi can do on a whim."

"I'm not reading every single mind there is!" Shinichi said at the same time, "Besides, even I might miss some out."

"Complete destruction?" Hala put forth questioningly.

"No," Shiloh refused, "we might risk complete exposure to Earth dwellers then. Do remember, the organisation is deeply entrenched in society. Their sudden and complete disappearance will raise questions and they may link it to something supernatural. To contain that…"

"How about we just turn an Earth dweller immortal?" Twyla, Head of Strategy and Artillery, said, "I'm sure Veer has at least one spaceship ready to go. We could bring back one Earth dweller, tell them what's needed to know, send them back to care of the problem,"

"And would you trust some no name Earth dweller to carry out this mission so readily?" Kaito asked her in wonder.

Twyla paused, "No. Then why doesn't the great Kaito himself suggest a course of action?"

Kaito narrowed his eyes, "You know what, I think I will,"

"Whoa!" Hala exclaimed, "Hold on a sec, Kaito. You're not going to suggest what I think you are, are you?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow, "I've no idea what you're thinking of, but I was suggesting we step onto Earth and end that no good organisation for ourselves."

"I assume you mean it differently to how you phrased it," Shiloh said, "considering I just explained that we're not going to be sending missionaries to destroy that investigation."

"Oh he does," Hala moaned in despair.

Kaito smirked.

Shinichi's eyes widened, "What! You can't be serious!"

"Stop reading my mind!" Kaito hissed at him.

"I wasn't," Shinichi replied, affronted, "But Hala's reaction says it all."

Ignored Kaito's muttered apology, Shinichi continued, speaking to the council at large, "He's suggesting we go in as mortals – grow up amongst them and lead them in their fight against the organisation."

Shiloh considered that, "Hmm, that is a good course of action."

"We can smuggle them in as infants," Raynor suggested, eyes gleaming with hope.

"Yeah, it will be easy to find a few stillborn children and replace them with some of us!" Veer agreed enthusiastically.

"Wait!" Latifah protested, "I haven't even given my agreement! And, besides, don't you remember the last time we did this – Project Kwantina?"

The council grew silent at her words.

Project Kwantina. Galaxy Nineteen, planet Kwantina. A similar situation as of Earth's had arisen and they had decided it was best to de-age a couple of immortals who could pass off as Kwantina dwellers and let them take care of the problem. Unfortunately, as their bodies had naturally grown older, slowly reversing the magic that had de-aged them, to their original age when they'd been turned immortal, instincts learned as residents of Theone had become harder to ignore.

Within five years, the immortals had been recognised as something unnatural and had been killed. Latifah – a shifter who could physically change her appearance by aging or de-aging her body – had been the one to change them. And after that one time, she'd always been reluctant to use her powers on anyone else.

"That had been because those agents couldn't keep up the act as pre-schoolers!" Kaito protested, "Their forty year old mentalities couldn't act as a child! The idea was a good one though!"

"Do you know how much trouble my department had to face?" Hala interrupted, "Talking and apologising with Kwantina's council, ambassadors in a flurry! And Kwantina had specifically asked for our help too! Only for us to botch it up!"

"Well," Shinichi said slowly, "There's still a way to do it correctly this time,"

"Elaborate," Shiloh said, sending a stern glance at Latifah who was ready to protest.

"We can supress their memories," Shinichi explained, much to the council's confusion, "Well, whomever we send to Earth will have to live and grow up as Earth dwellers, right? If we supress their immortal memories, they can literally grow up as Earth dwellers! And when they've grown up enough, we can remove the suppression so they know what their mission is."

"It…has merit," Kolos, Head of Occult, murmured, "A time delayed memory suppression that would automatically wear off after a while. That would let the agents learn the Earth dwellers' way of living, allowing them to blend in."

"I agree," Kaito concurred, "So, Latifah, will you do it?"

"Okay," Latifah replied grudgingly.

"But who will be sent?" Raynor asked, "Veer is the only one here originally from Earth."

"There are a couple of prior Earth dwellers in my division," Latifah suggested.

"No," Shinichi shook his head, "Healers will not be capable of such a mission."

"Since it was your suggestion mainly, why not the both of you go?" Zakiya smirked, "Eh, Shinichi? Kaito? Elisin and Lene dwellers are quite similar to Earth's humans, aren't they?"

Ignoring both, Kaito and Shinichi's, protests, Shiloh gave it some thought, "Yes, that makes sense. We'll have your deputies fill in your positions while you're gone, but the both of you have enough experience and knowledge to do this right."

Latifah looked over to them critically, "I think even their new-born selves could pass off as human babies."

"Don't I get a say in it?" Kaito asked, annoyed.

Shiloh looked over to him, "Kaito, you're the Head of Magical Research and Shinichi is Head of Investigation. Surely you can see what a good combination of talents this would be?"

Kaito sighed. Yes, that was certainly true. Even Shinichi could see sense in that.

Elisin, Shinichi's mortal planet, had a unique power among its species – mind reading. It hardly took any focus and all beings on Elisin could do it. This was one of the major reasons why no one ever bothered lying, lies could be easily caught. Of course, the morality was also a reason and most Elisin dwellers grew up speaking only the truth because it was the noble and honest thing to do.

While Shinichi's powers had brought a lot of discomfort among the other immortals in the beginning due to his lack of control in managing it, Shinichi had gradually learned to use his powers conciously. It had been quite messy at first when he began answering to people's thoughts without realising and now they'd learned to count on Shinichi's morals that he'd never read their minds without permission. It didn't stop some of them, like Zakiya, from making snide comments about it though.

And coupling his mind reading ability with his inborn intelligence, Shinichi was a perfect agent to send to Earth. Also, he was familiar with Sharon and her abilities. That knowledge would be useful –

"Wait!" Shinichi said, "What about Sharon? Won't she recognise us if we ever meet up?"

"That's a possibility," Kaito agreed, "Does she know about Project Kwantina?"

"No," Hala shook her head, "Sharon was mostly an ambassador for her own planet back then; she wasn't present on Theone when we decided about Project Kwantina."

"She does know about shifters though," Latifah pointed out, "So she may realise that you're Kaito and Shinichi, but let's be realistic. She hasn't seen you in 4000 years. Living day in and day out on Earth, she was bound to have met similar looking individuals."

"Yes," Kaito hummed thoughtfully, "It's not like Theone – a mass of different species from different planets that we're all so different in physical characteristics."

"Which is why I never understood how you two look so near identical," Raynor commented wryly, gazing at Shinichi and Kaito, "when you are not only from different planets, but also different galaxies!"

Kaito shrugged, having no answer to that. No one ever knew why, really.

Kaito, from Galaxy Twelve, planet Lene, was a Magick user. All Lene dwellers were able to harness Magick, which basically meant a mild manipulation of the nature, illusions and some odd tricks. Then there were few individuals who could go further beyond the basics. Turning oneself or others invisible, scrying the future, conjuring objects, magical healing, use of Magick in battle in the form of spells, etc.

It was obvious why Kaito was a good choice to be sent to Earth, apart from their physical similarities to humans.

And that did happen. Sometimes, some planets' species would very closely resemble each other physically – not biologically, no, only physically. Still, physical similarity aside, it was quite disconcerting to see someone who could practically be your twin!

"So, if we're all in agreement," Shiloh began, "we'll appoint Kaito and Shinichi as the agents for this mission." He glared at them sternly, "Do remember what is at cost here. If you fail, it would likely mean the exposure of our secrets to a whole criminal organisation of Earth, leading to immortal crime lords. You must completely eliminate this organisation, or at least stop their pursuit of immortality."

"What about Sharon?" Shinichi asked softly.

"She's betrayed us," Zakiya snapped, "I say we _eliminate_ her as well!"

"Surely not!" Shinichi exclaimed, "We can bring her back here and –"

"And what?" Zakiya asked, "Put her on house arrest? Tell her what her stupidity nearly cost us?"

"She's just –"

"In love? Blinded by emotions? She's bored!" Zakiya declared, "That's what it is! She got tired of maintaining peace and order, took a vacation on Earth, found a power hungry mortal that could spice things up –"

"Nonsense!" Shinichi scowled at her accusations, " _You_ weren't the one who investigated her! _You_ didn't read her mind! She genuinely loves the man – and she doesn't want him to pursue immortality so boldly, spreading it among the whole organisation! She wants him to stop and give up and come to Theone with us, but he doesn't want that, so –"

"So she's loyally staying by his side, even if it means betraying us –"

"Zakiya," Kaito spoke quietly, "That's enough."

Kaito's words stopped the heated argument. Shiloh looked at him gratefully, before continuing.

"We eliminate her," Shiloh declared, gazing at Shinichi in slight compassion but remained firm in his decision, who nodded at the chairman's words, "unless Earth's investigative department takes action before you both can. We'll be sending you to an appropriate time period, letting you grow up as mortals. Then, when the memories return, you will have built your place among society and start your mission."

Kaito and Shinichi nodded in understanding.

"Good," Shiloh smiled, "Now, I just hope the both of you won't get into too many arguments."

That earned the chairman two identical scowls, pasted on two identical faces, much to the amusement of the other council members.

* * *

 **AN: Sooo... How was it? Questions? I know there will be questions... and if it doesn't give away the plot, I promise to answer! :)  
**

 **I know that the first chapter may seem a bit bland, plus zero progress - but as we move on further, I promise there will be progress! And we'll be back on Earth, of course! :D  
**

 **Now, just to let you guys know - this story has barely two chapters written down. I've got exams and can't get back to writing until they're over. So, I'm just posting this as a happy birthday fic to Kudo Shinichi and because my computer's going a reboot and I had to shift all my documents online. SO, I thought, why not post it? UPDATES WILL BE SLOW.  
**

 **Thanks for reading, guys! :)**

 **.**

 **GLOSSARY:**

Planets - Theone: God's gift

Elisin: Noble

Lene: Illustrious

Kwantina: Joyful

People - Kaito: To soar the ocean

Shinichi: One truth

Hala: Beautiful

Shiloh: Peaceful

Zakiya: Intelligent

Latifah: Elegant

Sharon: Princess

Raynor: Wise

Veer: Brave

Twyla: Creative

Kolos: Scholar

.

 **REVIEW!**


	2. Hello, Earth!

**AN: So...I know I've been gone too long, but! BUT! I'm baaaack! Yes, I've been briefly active on the DC archive, but writing has taken a while! Sorry! I'll try and be faster! For now, here's a chapter to tide you guys over!  
**

 **Thanks a lot, all my faithful readers!**

 **Rockster - Your patience has been severely tested [bows], but your review really opened my eyes and will inspire me to write faster henceforth! Thank you for still being interested and it was not rude nor was I offended at all! Your review was a wake-up call and I think I needed that!  
**

 **Disconsolate Mist - Your constant urgings have been noted too and thanks for still trying to keep in touch while I was MIA!**

 **I love you guys! Seriously! All my readers - THANKS!**

 **.**

"Dialogues"

' _Thoughts'_

.

Note: Once more, check out the GLOSSARY at the end of the chapter!

Enjoy~

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

 _Earth Year: 1940, A.D. Theone Year: Uncountable, Limitless_

…

Akako studied her crystal ball carefully, frowning in distaste. The Magick user; from Galaxy Twelve, planet Lene, current member of the Department of Occult; was very good at scrying the future and had been chosen to find out an appropriate time to send in their agents.

"It's difficult to find a suitable time period currently," Akako said, addressing the small group that had gathered in her office.

Shiloh, Kolos, Kaito, Shinichi, Latifah and Hala sat in the small room as Akako peered into her scrying crystal.

"The only time I can find," Akako continued, "to send Kaito and Shinichi to Earth is 40 years from now in Earth time."

"Why so?" Shiloh asked curiously.

"For one," Akako said, "You need stillborn children to replace them with. For two, those children's parents must have some physical resemblance to Kaito and Shinichi."

"And there are no such children born currently?" Kolos questioned his junior.

"No," Akako shook her head, "From what I saw, in the Earth year 1980, Kudo Yukiko's male child will be stillborn, as will Kuroba Chikage's. The fathers, Kudo Yusaku and Kuroba Toichi, also look somewhat similar to Shinichi and Kaito to be able to pass off as parent and child. But, there's no other opportunity before that."

Kaito shrugged, "Oh well, if it's after 40 years, it's after 40 years. Can't do much about that. Theone won't be reaching Earth till at least 100 years. That organisation won't be able to make contact with us till then, and that is only if they find that jewel of theirs. "

"You'll have even less time than that," Latifah denied Kaito's assumption, "Remember, your bodies are frozen at a physical age of twenty. After you grow to twenty, you won't age anymore and will cause suspicion among Earth dwellers."

"That's right," Shinichi mused, "So we have about twenty or twenty five years, give or take. Twenty can be passed off as twenty-five to a certain extent,"

"Actually," Latifah said, "even less. Since your memories will be supressed till at least your 'teen' years, you will only have ten years, give or take, to bring down the organisation."

"Anyway," Akako interrupted before they could begin that thread of discussion, "Apart from the forty year difference, we can't send the both you of at the same time either."

"Why not?" Kaito asked.

"The Kudo child is due in May," Akako answered, "while the Kuroba child will be born in June."

"So we'll have to first send in Shinichi," Shiloh frowned thoughtfully, "then Kaito."

"Yes, Shinichi looks enough like the Kudo's to pass off as their child," Akako nodded, "while Kaito will have to be sent in a month later as the Kuroba's son."

"That's fine, I guess," Kaito mused, "So…who is going to be supressing our memories and how?"

"I'll be doing it," Latifah answered, "I'll basically be de-aging your mind and body. So, when you regain your memories, you will have two different set of childhood experiences. It won't be very pleasant, I guess, the sudden return of your memories."

"So," Shinichi realised, "you're going to make our brains age faster than our bodies, thus when our brain is technically twenty years old, it will have all the memories we do now."

"Will that even work?" Kaito asked, confused, "we may be physically twenty, but in actuality, we've lived for millennia!"

"Yes," Latifah agreed, "but your brain is still frozen at twenty. All that you've experienced after turning immortal is considered as your life experiences as a _twenty year old_ to your brain."

"Hmm, you're right," Shinichi agreed, "And since we're immortal, we also never seem to forget anything, our brains being a limitless storage of information. So, our new experiences on Earth shouldn't be too disconcerting either."

"Yeah," Latifah grinned, "No need to worry about forgetting anything important by mistake, whether you learnt it as an immortal or while living on Earth."

* * *

 _Earth Year: 1980, A.D. Theone Year: Uncountable, Limitless_

…

Seated inside a spaceship, Shinichi, Kaito, Latifah and Kolos were headed to Earth. Earth's council – a special board of members who knew of PANDORA's existence and their purpose – had already readied a clearing for their arrival. The ambassador had explained that the problem that had arisen; Sharon's betrayal and an organisation's bid for immortality; was now Theone's problem and shall be solved by them. For which, Shinichi and Kaito, two of their members would be sent to Earth to grow up as humans. And for safety and anonymity's sake, their identities would be kept under wraps.

Earth's council had not been very ready to accept Theone's judgement and control over a situation that was equally Earth's responsibility, but they had to concede to the fact that Theone was the most powerful planet out there and best equipped to deal with one of their own members. Plus, the organisation was too well hidden and had expertly evaded capture since years. So, in the end, they had to concede and let Theone do things their way.

"So, am I going to get my memories back as the years go by or all at once?"

Shinichi's question was met with a shake of Kolos's head.

"All at once," the Head of Occult said, "If you start regaining your memories before that, you might grow confused. And we've no intention of seeing you locked up in an asylum or worse, killed –"

Latifah shuddered, remembering Project Kwantina, and the disastrous ending.

"– if you start spouting stuff you had learnt as a child the first time around. Or speak in Elisin's native language, by mistake."

Kaito frowned, "How's that going to work? I can understand Latifah de-aging our minds along with our body but making our minds age faster – she's a shifter and basically control a body's growth. But how can you make it so that we regain our memories at one go?"

"Simple," Kolos smiled, "I'll place a lock on your memories just before Latifah de-ages you."

Kaito and Shinichi's eyes widened in understanding.

"I see," Latifah said, "even I was wondering about that."

"So basically, you're going to turn our twenty-year old minds into a blank sheet," Shinichi expounded, "So, when Latifah de-ages us, we grow up naturally. And when our mind turns twenty, the memories you've locked will return back to us."

"Exactly," Kolos nodded, "I'll be placing a month long memory suspension on the both of you. So, exactly one month after your mind turns twenty, my spell will lose its hold. The memories may come in a rush, so you best be careful."

The rest of the journey to Earth passed in silence.

Shinichi and Kaito had never been 'friends', merely cordial with each other, owing to a misunderstanding and then spurned friendship at their very first meeting. They'd forgiven each other enough to collaborate with the other and be civil, once they had gained the position of Head of Departments and had to work closely as part of the main council, but they'd never bothered to be more. Their somewhat alliance and understanding was enough for them and nothing more was needed.

Latifah and Kolos, while on good terms with everyone, decided to rest a while, leaving the spaceship in complete silence. Their roles in this mission were a bit more than simply using their powers – they would also be in charge of making sure for the first few months that no suspicion arose for the de-aged immortals – and they'd begun preparing themselves for it.

Having never visited Earth, Latifah had no knowledge regarding its language and tried memorising bits and pieces of it. Kolos, who would have even less interaction with humans than Latifah, had simply decided to let the language translator – a highly complex device created by the PANDORA to make intergalactic relations peaceful – do its job and not bothered learning English or Japanese at all. Shinichi poured over an old text for leisure while Kaito made tiny sparkling lights appear from the tips of his fingers.

The craft, manned by two members of the Military Department, was due to reach Earth in two weeks' time (Earth time. Or currently, 72 hours for Theone time; but that kept changing after all and was thus never reliable). Ensconced in their rooms for most of the part, the four members of the council only met during meal times or if they had to discuss anything further regarding the mission.

All in all, it was peaceful.

* * *

 _Earth Year: 1980, A.D. Theone Year: Uncountable, Limitless_

…

No planet ever had ambassadors of theirs sent to Theone. It was only Theone's ambassadors who were sent to each and every planet, to make contact and keep them informed of all that went on in the various galaxies. After all, the moment a mortal stepped onto Theone, they ceased being a mortal and thus were a part of Theone; so naturally, they couldn't send any ambassadors to the immortal planet. Most ambassadors were typically a prior dweller for that planet to make transition and communication smooth.

So, after the spaceship landed (cloaked under heavy concealment spells so as to evade the notice of any satellites and other contraptions set up by Earth), the 'Earth' ambassador walked forward to welcome them.

"Hello," Ken smiled, "It's been long since we met, Kolos! And it's nice to see you again, Shinichi."

Ken and Kolos were long-time friends, even though Kolos hailed from Galaxy Seven, Planet Phedra and Ken from Galaxy Fourteen, Planet Earth. Soon after Ken (formerly Ken Wilkins, but living for millennia made surnames redundant) had been turned immortal, he'd joined the Department of Occult and gotten to know Kolos – they'd immediately clicked. And while Kolos went on to become Head of Department, Ken had transferred to Department of Intelligence and become Earth's ambassador.

Ken had also been the one who'd helped Shinichi conduct his investigation on Earth, translating the various human languages into Theone's native language to make his work easier. Walking around with a large and distinct language translator would have brought Shinichi unnecessary attention when he hd been trying to maintain a low profile.

"Come, I'll introduce you the head of Earth's council," Ken said as he led them towards a small observatory that had been set up to manage the spaceship or provide base for fixing the craft's machinery if needed, "She's agreed to let PANDORA handle this issue in our own way, but has mentioned that a few government organisations are already on their trail."

"That's perfectly fine," Shinichi said, "the two of us cannot do everything by ourselves, so having government aid will be useful once we've established our cover on Earth."

Kaito nodded along in agreement and Ken grinned at them, "Excellent."

…

Kaito was fascinated.

This was his first time visiting Earth, never having the need to do so before, and he'd already fallen in love with the nature here. As they walked through the clearing and through the fields to the observatory, his eyes roamed about, taking in the lush green flora of Earth.

He could feel his magic thrumming in his veins – Earth, despite having produced no magical beings, certainly seemed to be a good medium for Magick. The very air seemed to be filled with it. While Earth's magical saturation was nowhere near the levels found on Lene, it certainly was quite a lot. Perhaps that was one reason Lene dwellers looked so alike to Earth's dwellers? Hmm…something to ponder upon.

And it had only been minutes since they'd landed on Earth, but Kaito could feel the changes taking place in his body already – his skin seemed to soften just a touch, his blood (Blood? Yes, blood) seemed to thin, his pulse rate quickening. His nail beds lost the pale and silvery hue, instead turning a light peach. Kaito was sure his blood had changed from Theone's silvery fluid to Earth's red colouration (Probably, it was a guess by looking at his now pink-ish palms). The gravity seemed to be more forceful too.

Yes, Earth was definitely fascinating.

They walked into the observatory and past a few winding hallways to finally reach a large conference room. Ken began addressing the council in Earth's language, which Kaito could barely follow, the accent sounding strange to him. Then he turned towards them.

"These are the members of Earth's council," Ken indicated to the woman standing at the centre, "and this is Ms Narcissa Muller, the Head of the council."

And thus it went. Switching back and forth from Theone's native language to Earth's, Ken kept the conversation flowing after the introductions were done with. It was an informative (not really) two hours later that Kaito found himself in a hotel room, courtesy of Earth's council, lying down on beds made of a soft material.

"Well, today was certainly interesting," Kaito mumbled into the bedspread.

Tomorrow, the 28th of April, they would be departing for Japan via an Earth spaceship that flew just below the atmosphere – they called it an airplane? Aeroplane? Earth's language was so varied! – and Kaito felt a tiny tendril of apprehension and thrill. He certainly loved the element of surprise and danger.

Pulling out a small crystal ball, he gave it a shake, waiting for the mist inside to clear.

"Kaito." Akako's face swam into view, "I see you've reached."

"Hey, Akako," Kaito grinned, "Yeah, Earth's great. You'd be surprised by the amount of Magick at this place!"

Akako's eyes widened slightly at that before returning to her usual haughty, know-it-all expression, "Is that so? In all my scryings, I've not yet seen a Magick using Earth dweller."

"Perhaps they don't," Kaito shrugged, "Anyway, this is not what I called you for. Do you remember my request?"

"Yes." Akako nodded, "I'll keep a look out for the future. Yes, for both of yours," she added when at Kaito's questioning eyebrows raised for confirmation, "Aww, how _sweet_! Kaito does care for Shinichi!"

"Shut up!" Kaito scowled, "I don't care for that stuck up idiot. He's irritating and – and we don't see eye to eye and –"

"Please," Akako rolled her eyes drolly, "How immature can you get? 'He's irritating?' 'Don't see eye to eye?' I really wonder how long you're going continue this half-friendship, half-rivalry. The both of you make an odd pair, really."

"Then why take such an interest in it?" Kaito muttered.

"It's free entertainment!" Akako cackled, "Did you know? Zakiya always has quite a bunch of slurs lined up to throw at Shinichi and you for the monthly council meet! And she keeps regaling me with tales of the meeting – how the both of you defend each other's views against her before going back to pretend the other doesn't exist and criticising the other's plans. She was a bit sad the both of you are leaving, complaining how she'll be losing two of her favourite targets."

"I can see why the two of you are such good friends." Kaito sighed, "Besides; we went off on a tangent. You'll keep an eye out, yes?"

"Yes." Akako agreed with a grin, mirth dancing in her eyes still, "I'll keep a look out. If anything goes wrong or if you need any help, I'll make my way to Earth."

"Earth dwellers have a lot of complicated languages –"

"Kaito," Akako interrupted, "I scry multiple planets and have been doing so for Earth since the past forty years because of this mission. I'm sure I know Earth's language much better than you by now."

"Yeah, of course," Kaito nodded in understanding, "Just…keep a look out. Even though I did suggest this plan, Project Kwantina still haunts me a bit."

"You're going to have your memories blocked," Akako pointed out in a vaguely comforting manner, "Plus, it was Shinichi's idea, wasn't it? If he's sure that blocking your memories will do the trick, then, well…unless you don't trust his theory?"

"No," Kaito admitted, "Shinichi's theory does seem solid. And he is trustworthy, no matter how _annoying_ he is…"

Akako sighed, "Okay. I'm done coddling you. You're a twenty year old immortal, and you've fought in the last Great War of Galaxies, you can do this."

"Twenty year old immortal who's gonna be shrunk into a new born baby soon. With no knowledge of Magick and defenceless," Kaito pointed out sullenly, "Certainly not a war veteran."

"And you're not even going to remember these insecurities after you de-age. And when you get your memories back, this fear will be redundant," Akako replied, "As I said, I'm done coddling you. Now that we've confirmed my part in the plan, farewell."

With that, the crystal ball turned murky again, leaving Kaito back in his lonesome company. The Magick user sighed as he slumped back into the pillows, making a note to tell the others that he'd made contact with Akako and verified the plan with her.

* * *

 _Earth Year: 1980, A.D. Theone Year: Uncountable, Limitless_

…

Latifah, hailing from planet Uraeus, Galaxy Eleven, was as different from Earth's humans as could possibly be. Her skin tone was originally a pale yellow though it had evened out to a light pinkish hue upon descending on Earth two days ago. Her hair, a vibrant red, was thankfully not very unusual if uncommon. But her eyes were small horizontal slits, the sclera and iris both light blue in colour that just refused to adjust accordingly to Earth.

Kaito dabbed a bit more make-up on her face and adjusted her false ears – they were a bit too pointy and had to be smoothened out with fake skin –

("They call it latex on Earth, Latifah! _Latex_! Isn't that such a cool word?" Kaito had grinned as he gave up on glue and used magic to attach the 'latex' to her ears.

"You're just reminding us why we must erase our memories," Shinichi deadpanned, "Your unbounded curiosity would have given us out immediately."

"Ha!" Kaito snorted, "We both know that in terms of curiosity, you have me beat – the only thing you have me beat in, by the way –"

"– And arrogance." Latifah pitched in with a grin.

"Oh no," Kolos refuted, amused, "that one goes to Kaito, for sure –"

"– anyway!" Kaito glared, "But since Shinichi can simply read the humans' minds to sate his curiosity, we poor immortals have to go about doing it the natural way – exploring and inquiring!"

"And annoying the hell out of locals."

"Hey, at least my Japanese has improved somewhat –"

"After you almost insulted four shopkeepers and got us kicked out of one restaurant because you messed up a few words –"

"At least I'm making the effort to learn it, unlike you who goes around wearing those monstrous headphones and detachable speaker –"

"I didn't design the intergalactic language translator to be so bulky and attention grabbing, did I –"

"– Looking like a loon –"

"– Ha! That's rich, coming from you –"

Latifah and Kolos had simply sighed then, far too used to Shinichi and Kaito's bickering to pay it anymore attention)

"So, do I look like an appropriate Nurturer? Or, what do they call it – midwife?"

"It's called 'doctor' in Earth terms," Shinichi pointed out the correct term, giving Latifah a once over, "And yes, you seem presentable, if a bit foreign, in a country with black-haired brown-eyed people."

"Which brings me to this," Kaito pointed out, "I can't do anything about your eyes, so I'll simply have to camouflage them with my magic."

"That's fine," Latifah answered, "In fact, you could have done the same with my ears too, couldn't you?"

Kaito shook his head, "Our bodies are already adjusting to Earth and unfortunately that means we've become part of the equilibrium system here."

Shinichi nodded in agreement, "It's why I said I couldn't read everyone's mind and tell you who is a part of the organisation. Kaito may have noticed this by reading the magic levels – or at least that's what I assume – but our abilities are not as easily accessed as they were on our native planet or on Theone."

"You have me slightly confused," Latifah confessed.

Having never left Theone for any reason after being turned immortal, she'd never learnt how different planets could affect their abilities. Even for Project Kwantina, Latifah had de-aged the agents on Theone before they had been sent to Kwantina.

"Ken would do a better job explaining," Kolos said, "but I'll try. Take my power into account – memory manipulation. I can basically confound anyone I want, as long as I focus on them. It is naturally tougher with strong willed individuals, but I can do it with little effort on my part. Were I on my home planet, Phedra, it would have been even more easier!"

Planet Phedra's inhabitants were highly developed intellectuals who were rumoured to have the best military forces after Theone. Quite a bit of their advanced brain power could also be used to manipulate objects. Telekinesis was one of the most common powers among them, but a few would always differ – telepathy, hypnotism, memory manipulation, empathy, pyrokinesis, hydrokinesis, clairvoyance, projection of mental shields in the physical world, etc.

"For me," Kaito continued, "my magic stays in harmony with the planet's. With the relatively low magical levels on Earth compared to Lene or Theone, I can't do continuous or long-term magic for greater durations. It's like the equilibrium must be maintained." Kaito frowned, trying to be more articulate, "For example, currently, my body harnesses a lot of magic for a normal Lene dweller. But, since the magic levels on Earth are lower, a kind of osmosis takes place – my magic doesn't hold on for as long as it usually can, dissipating into the Earth."

"You mean," Latifah mused, "All our powers are somewhat dulled?"

"In a way," Shinichi agreed, "but not all, of course. Mind reading is usually very easy for me, but trying to peek into human minds take more effort than normal for some reason. But for Kolos, his power should have little to no problem. Perhaps, it might be even easier."

"It is, actually," Kolos said, "Much easier than what it used to be back on Phedra. How do you think I convinced the receptionist down there to give four non-Earth dwellers a hotel room?"

"She has no recollection of our faces, does she? So, depending on each being," Latifah concluded, "it differs, right? Quite randomly? What about my shifting abilities?"

"I guess they should pose no problem at all," Kaito assured her, "You're shifting your own body, a physical thing. De-aging us should be no different. When you de-age me, however, my magic may have some random outbursts to make sure I give off enough magic to the Earth. I hope my younger self will be careful enough about it though."

Shinichi nodded thoughtfully, "It's the same with me. My natural abilities to read a person's mind was very uncontrolled when I was younger –"

"And even after turning immortal," Kaito muttered, earning a slight glare from his near-twin.

"– and while reading the minds of humans is more difficult, it is bound to happen sometime," Shinichi sighed, "Speaking of mishaps, how long will the both of you be staying after making sure of Kaito's… 'delivery'?"

Kolos hummed, "A few months was what had been decided, but we'll see. Akako will be keeping a watch, anyway and Ken will also keep an eye."

"Hopefully Sharon won't find about the two of you," Latifah worried, "If she's joined the organisation and helping them look for immortality, I wonder how far she'll go…"

Mood soured, Shinichi turned away from them. Kolos only shook his head ruefully.

"Akako has seen nothing till now about Sharon," Kaito glared at the female for bringing up the topic, "As far as we know, she has nothing to do with the Kudo's or Kuroba's. I'm sure it will go fine."

The door-bell of the hotel room rang then, thankfully shifting their attention. Kolos opened it to reveal Ken who held a huge stack of folders in his arms.

"Hello!" Ken grinned, "I see you've settled in well, Japan has great climate, doesn't it?"

"What's all those papers for?" Kaito asked incredulously.

"Documents for Latifah," Ken stated as he put the folders down on a table. At their confused looks, he elaborated, "Even if she's going to be a doctor for a couple of months, she still needs authentic papers, you know?"

"Won't Kolos be taking care of that, though?" Latifah questioned.

"He'll be manipulating your co-workers memories to make sure they remember you and not ask questions," Ken said, "But, it still has to be on record that a doctor called Latifah worked in the clinic and delivered two babies. The Kudo's and Kuroba's must remember who delivered their child, or it will be a huge mess."

"Can't deny the logic behind that," Shinichi murmured.

"Good!" Ken clapped his hands, "Now, Kolos, Latifah, come with me. We need to go get you established in the clinic – Mitsuba Clinic, right?"

"That's where Akako saw the Kudo's going," Kaito agreed, "And Hanashobu Clinic in Ekoda for the Kuroba's."

"Right, right," Ken exhaled, "Let's get going then. Kolos, old chap, you're going to be busy making sure each and every staff member knows Doctor Latifah. Let's get cracking!"

Adjusting her hair and fake glasses – Kaito had camouflaged her eyes to be white with blue irises in the end, but glasses were just an extra prop – the red haired girl shifted into a woman in her mid-thirties. Her previously loose dress now fit her well and she took off the towel that had been draped around her shoulders during the make-up session. Slipping on an over coat, she twirled a bit to show off.

"Old enough for a reputed doctor?"

"Enough to be a certified gynaecologist," Ken agreed.

Kaito gave a small whistle and winked while Shinichi smirked and gave her a thumbs-up. Latifah preened slightly under their appreciative gaze before moving out with Ken. Kolos picked up a huge head phone with an attached mic – the translator – and followed after.

"Don't blow up the room in one of your disagreements, okay?" Latifah called out as she shut the door.

"Why do they always have to bring that up?" Kaito positively whined.

"She doesn't trust you," Shinichi retorted, slumping down into a sofa.

"Trust _us_ , you mean," Kaito scowled, "Or trust you to leave things alone."

"I don't remember escalating any of our arguments, that's always been you –"

"Ha! Like you can talk, whose idea was it to repaint the meeting room green –"

"Last I checked, you're the Magick user in the room –"

"And you were the one with the matter dispeller –"

"That was a prototype invention! How should I have known it would fail –"

"Maybe _because_ it was a prototype? And why should you have even thought of _using_ it –"

"You don't have much room to say anything, considering you're the one that cast the spell –"

"Oho, so we're playing the blame game, are we? Need I remind you of the Rakett Case –"

"An investigation that would have gone infinitely better in your absence –"

* * *

 **AN: ALL reviews will be replied to, so be free in asking questions or even ranting about my late updates! Seriously.**

 **Also, please let me know how this chp turned out, yeah?**

 **.**

 **To Enoshima Junko - Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked it!  
**

 **To Rockster - Thanks for the review! You're right! The science-nerd living inside my head just refuses to let go off me without typing down random facts :P Also, about checking Pandora gem under the sun - it actually IS possible, but no one on Earth knew about that, thus the 'under moonlight' thing... Future canon events may or may not take place - cannot reveal too much now :P - you'll have to read further! ;)**

 **Also, there are literall so may ways to write "Kaito", but for the particular kanji and translation I used and thus for this story, those shall be the meanings :) As for your other questions, I hope they're answered now :) And thanks so much for being so patient, hopefully yo don't have to be so much any more!**

 **.**

 **GLOSSARY:  
**

Planets - Theone: God's gift

Elisin: Noble

Lene: Illustrious

Kwantina: Joyful

Uraeus: Old-fashioned

Phedra: Bright

People - Akako - Red child

Ken: Dignified

Kaito: To soar the ocean

Shinichi: One truth

Kolos: Scholar

Narcissa: Daffodil

Zakiya: Intelligent

Other words - Mitsuba Clinic: Three leaves clinic

Hanashobu Clinic: Iris clinic [Iris is a japanese flower, purple coloured]

Rakett Case - Missile case

.

 **REVIEW!**


End file.
